The big squeeze

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Maersk shakes up reefer world with plans to hike rates 30 percent in early 2013. By Eric Johnson Maersk Line has started to make autumn its “big news” season. A year ago, the largest container line in the world launched a product that guaranteed delivery times for shipments from key origin ports in Asia to major destinations in Northern Europe. This year, the Danish carrier made a more unpalatable announcement to shippers — that it would be hiking refrigerated cargo rates by an average of 30 percent globally. From Jan. 1, rates will rise by around $1,500 per 40-foot reefer container, Maersk said. The news, delivered by Maersk Line Chief Executive Officer Soren Skou at a refri...